Empire+C+Barriers


 * BARRIERS DISCUSSION**


 * Please list the results of your facilitated discussion on barriers and restraints to managing change and shift in schools.**
 * What is preventing them from being successful at implementing change?**

Barriers Participants : Candice Packer, Jim Spatasa, Larry Fenton, Kevin Kocher, Shannon Waren Roger Crider, Julie Lehmer, Rebecca Hardie, Jason Suter, Pascal Marcelin Marge Runkle, Fred McClain, Maria Scalleat, Wayne McCollough, Brian Jacobs, Donna Spear Julie Allison, Kristen Henning, Samantha Smith, Frank Sodoski, Ann Jamieson

1. Presentation to school board are sometimes holding expansion for the students. They don’t allow students use cell phones ect. Also the board won’t allow collaboration with teachers and students.

2. The required testing is making project based learning more difficult to sell to the administration and others. Standards and testing and the response of the administration is negatively affecting the classroom.

3. More technology is needed in many schools there are have’s and have not’s also need training.

4. Time seems to be the major limiting factor we are moving to block scheduling and it presents issues of making sure that all the standards are covered.

5. Time is my first item and the top level needs to require. Project based learning is going to use more time and we don’t have time to implement. Time to prep, time to implement and additional professional development.

6. The time factor in education for a number of years they did a lot of work at home and longer after school the younger teachers don’t seem willing to volunteer additional time among newer teachers. Newer teachers aren’t putting in the same amount of extra time that more veteran did.

7. Time focusing on testing is creating issues. Other initiatives are eating up time. Administration is currently focusing on curriculum mapping but the focus may be different next year.

8. Time working with teachers working doing a good job is hard to make additional changes to make them even better. The district doesn’t know if they will continue the coaching initiative beyond the current grants.

9. I agree but believe that it is culture that is the most difficult. Need to focus on the elementary they need to expand the focus on having elementary teachers change their strategies.

10. I have what everyone else is talking about. How does the classroom look the same the students are sometimes resistant. If they have that the whole way through the elementary they will be ready for the activity in the high school. We need to change student mind set concerning what is expected from them.

11. Professional development and time. We haven’t have had any professional development on project based activities. Changing the mentality that we must provide the exact same professional development to all staff. 12. Time and mind set. Lack of transition of technologies from our personal lives to the education arena Teachers need time for collaboration within the district to continue interdisciplinary activities that require planning among multiple subject areas at the high school level.

13. Time the school is project based learning and it didn’t make AYP and they are going back to traditional teaching because AYP wasn’t met. They need to meet the standards with project based learning then the y will probably go back to the project based learning but to a level. The quality wasn’t as high as the ones presented in Diane talk but it was doing well but may not have been the level that they wanted until they didn’t make AYP.

14. There is disparity at the beginning there may be a reduction but as they improve they will move beyond where they are now. Trying not to be pessimistic but the law makers have to understand there has to be forgiveness when short term items fail.

15.First thought was our teachers don’t know how to do it but some don’t believe that it will be the way to go. Also think it is systemic problem the state is saying to meet these scores and changing when performing well is difficult. The focus also continue changing on professional development activities then it moves to another initiative they need to have cohesion. They end up misusing time.

16. We have to get rid of the mentality of what is gone like industry and they aren’t coming back. We make a mistake trying to change the entire staff at once we need to focus on small groups. Being in the military they do this all the time. Work closely with one group that can be done and make it work then it will spread. Doesn’t believe that district can meet all the goals that the state has in their situation.

17. We move from bandwagon to bandwagon we also have a large number of teachers are training in university system that doesn’t prepare them for project based learning.

18. This is my first year in the district. They want to change and improve but the largest barrier is the staff needs to have the administration encourage their growth and what they are trying to do. I also think too many trainings are large group based. You should be able to select training that will directly affect you. Sitting through a whole group training that they want instead may be not be productive. Need to look at other ways of spending professional development resources.

19. Five or six years vision, lack of vision professional development. Not having a common vision having the professional disconnect. Focus of high stakes testing. Professional developing we moved from high schools that work and focusing on rigor and relevance. Administration then started to focus on different core projects and moved to to learning focused schools. Now they are moving back to using the schools that work program. Also believe that NCLB is not reachable for this district. We have 35 percent special needs with only 25 percent considered to be traditional students.

20. Every thing that is said we feel and need to overcome. The first year I tried to to study island found schools that 85 % reduced lunch. Teachers are working hard to meet AYP. Our problem I’m an outsider and exposures and feel frustrated and concerned that teachers don’t have the needed exposure. The narrow view that teachers have is an issue. Core issue in curriculum and SAS are tying up the

21. Being the last person is difficult. Live in a rural district that is poor with high unemployment the effort needs to be taught to our younger teachers. Seems to cycle through various trends. We have a difficulty that some that the schools have students that don’t even have DSL to use the items. Superintendents’ sometimes believe they are the technology experts when they aren’t. FEAR is what needs to be overcome Future Effort Ability Results.

22. Teachers don’t see the benefit for the time and effort needed. Need to educate them that scores can be helped by this new approach.


 * Back to Empire C Mini-Mission 2**